Description
This Strawberry Crunch Salad with Champagne Vinaigrette is a fresh, vibrant dish packed with juicy strawberries, creamy avocado, tangy goat cheese, and sweet crunchy nuts. Tossed in a light, zesty champagne vinaigrette, it’s the perfect quick salad for spring and summer meals.
Ingredients
Scale
Salad
- ⅔ cup sliced or slivered almonds
- 3 tablespoons sugar
- 10 ounces arugula greens
- 8 ounces strawberries, hulled and quartered
- 1 avocado, chopped
- 2 ounces goat cheese, crumbled
- ⅓ cup roasted salted pistachios, chopped
Champagne Vinaigrette
- 3 tablespoons champagne vinegar
- Juice of ½ lemon
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1 garlic clove, freshly grated
- Pinch kosher salt and pepper
- ½ cup olive oil
Instructions
- Make the candied almonds:
Place almonds in a nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add sugar and stir frequently until melted and caramelized, about 6–8 minutes. Transfer to parchment paper to cool, then break apart. - Prepare the salad base:
In a large bowl, toss arugula with a pinch of salt and pepper. - Add toppings:
Add strawberries, avocado, goat cheese, pistachios, and cooled candied almonds. - Make the vinaigrette:
In a bowl, whisk together champagne vinegar, lemon juice, honey, Dijon mustard, garlic, salt, and pepper. Slowly stream in olive oil while whisking until smooth. - Toss and serve:
Drizzle dressing over salad, toss gently, and serve immediately.
Notes
Watch almonds carefully while caramelizing—they burn quickly.
Let almonds cool fully before adding to salad to keep greens fresh.
Add dressing just before serving to maintain crunch.
Store leftover dressing in the fridge for up to 1 week.
- Prep Time: 25 minutes
- Cook Time: 5 minutes
- Category: Salad
- Method: Tossed / No-Cook (with light stovetop prep)
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 bowl
- Calories: 420
- Sugar: 14 g
- Sodium: 210 mg
- Fat: 34 g
- Saturated Fat: 6 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 26 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 24 g
- Fiber: 5g
- Protein: 8g
- Cholesterol: 10 mg